Planet With Episode 2 Review: Nebula Soldiers

Just like the episode wasted no time in introductions and went straight to the OP sequence, I say we go straight to the review of this mecha(?) anime. Soya is hell-bent on taking the power from all his enemies(?) and he will stop at nothing to achieve this goal.

Japanese Title: ネビュラソルジャー

Plot

The seven protectors belong to an organization called the Citizens’ Safety Center Defense Station, aka Grand Paladin (does that make them paladins?), led by this shady-guy who is also the son of the old jiji who is part of the team. They employ a power which they call the Psychokinetic Mega-God Photon Armor but we get no new info on how and why and from where they were entrusted with them. We only learn that they are a team who defend Earth from invasion by an alien race called Nebula. Back to Soya and his catty gang, we learn that Nebula is indeed trying to conquer Earth because they want to quarantine the species before their martial capabilities become too powerful and unstable. Yet, Sensei and Ginko tell Soya that they belong to a separate political faction of Nebula who believe that humanity should be allowed to evolve further as long as the power of the Photon Armors is taken from them. And there you have it. For now, we know that we have two opposing Nebula factions, the ‘conquer them before it’s too late part’ and the ‘let’s just take their toys away’ one. And we have a team of human(?) superheroes whose boss wants to be the absolute ruler of Earth. That seems like both sides are split in half.

Episode Highlights

One by One: The format of the episodes seems clear cut: A giant object will appear, one of the 7 will try to overcome the illusion in its core to destroy it, and then Soya will battle against them. I wonder if it’s just a convenient plot device or there is purpose behind it.

Clark Kent: It seems that our Nebula Soldiers have some kind of technology that hides their identity with… censorship stickers. Plus points for the originality.

MEAT: There is something going on here. Soya is not supposed to eat meat and they are serving him all kinds of vegetarian dishes. Besides the obvious (something WILL happen when Soya finally eats meat), the ban creates some nice comedic moments. I laughed out loud when that bun had bean jam and not meat inside. Meat is also used as a connecting point with the Grand Paladin team as well. Old jiji’s vice is meat-eating, as Soya indirectly learns from the news as an old man puts steakhouses out of business due to his cravings.

Takamagahara Nozomi: We already know from the poster that she is going to join #TEAMCATS. I wonder what her role will be.

Themes & Trivia

Judo: I don’t know much about the art of judo, but according to the internet, it was created as a form of physical, mental, and moral pedagogy in Japan in 1882. It is one of the martial arts in the Olympic Games. The uchi mata mentioned in the episode is one of the original 40 throws found in Judo.

Geta: I am sure you have seen this footwear in anime before. It is a form of traditional Japanese footwear that looks like a flip flop on weird heels. They are like a wooden sandal that is elevated by two wooden bases so that the foot is kept above the ground. They are usually worn with traditional clothing like kimonos and yukatas. I’ve always wanted a pair to be honest, from the moment I saw Professor Saotome wearing them in the anime adaptation of Getter Robo!

Comments

I like where this anime is going plot-wise. The good are not that good and the bad are not that bad and I am guessing that at some point there is going to be a major plot twist where the good will join forces with the good and the bad… well, they don’t usually join but they will maybe come to an agreement. The mecha part of the anime is not to my liking up until now, maybe because I’m more of a traditional Super Robot with at least a cool transformation. Maybe we’ll see one in the future. Yet, we do have the super move shouting which is very Super Robot and Tokusatsu.

Evolution of… Cat?

Now that our lovely group is surrounded, will they spill the beans about their faction or let the group think they are the enemy? They are after their little power bottles after all and I don’t think they don’t have an escape plan ready. Sensei is a sneaky little cat.

Did you like Episode 2 of Planet With? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check the rest of our Summer 2018 reviews!